Interprofessional Collaboration and Team Effectiveness of Pharmacists in General Practice: A Cross-National Survey

Abstract

As team-based care continues to evolve, pharmacists have been included in general practice teams in many countries, to varying extents, to improve medication use and patient safety. However, evidence on interprofessional collaboration and team effectiveness of pharmacists in general practice is sparse. This study aimed to compare the extent of interprofessional collaboration and team effectiveness of general practice pharmacists in Australia with international sites (Canada and the UK), and identify the factors associated with interprofessional collaboration and team effectiveness. General practice pharmacists from Australia, Canada, and the UK were identified through professional organisations and networks, and invited to participate in an online survey, adapted from existing validated tools. The survey explored interprofessional collaboration through four sub-domains (professional interactions, relationship initiation, trust and role clarity, and commitment to collaboration) and team effectiveness of general practice pharmacists. Of the 101 respondents (26 from Australia, 44 from Canada and 31 from the UK), 79% were female and 78% were aged below 50 years. Interprofessional collaboration and team effectiveness appeared to be high and similar between countries. Total scores for collaboration of pharmacists were 86.1 ± 7.4 in Australia, 88.5 ± 7.5 in the UK, and 89.1 ± 7.3 in Canada (mean ± SD, where higher scores represent more advanced collaboration), while the team effectiveness scores of the pharmacists were 88.6 ± 14.6 in Canada, 91.8 ± 14.6 in Australia and 97.5 ± 14.0 in the UK. Pharmacists who had worked in general practice for a longer time showed advanced interprofessional collaboration while those who worked exclusively in general practice had higher scores for team effectiveness. Overall, general practice pharmacists in the three countries were highly collaborative with general practitioners. Long-term employment and longer work hours could enhance interprofessional collaboration and team effectiveness in general practice pharmacists by improving trust and working relationships over time.

Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Physician–Pharmacist Collaboration—A 2022 Cross-Sectional Survey in Poland

“…There are different models of physician-pharmacist collaboration around the world [11,27,30]. In Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, pharmacists are valuable members of crossprofessional patient care teams because they are medicine experts and can share their knowledge with colleagues to improve medication use and patient safety [30].…”

“…There are different models of physician-pharmacist collaboration around the world [11,27,30]. In Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, pharmacists are valuable members of crossprofessional patient care teams because they are medicine experts and can share their knowledge with colleagues to improve medication use and patient safety [30]. However, building a model of collaboration between physicians and pharmacists is a long-term process, and the key elements are trust, interdependence, perceptions of another healthcare professional, skills, interest in collaborative practice, role definition, and communication [30].…”

“…In Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, pharmacists are valuable members of crossprofessional patient care teams because they are medicine experts and can share their knowledge with colleagues to improve medication use and patient safety [30]. However, building a model of collaboration between physicians and pharmacists is a long-term process, and the key elements are trust, interdependence, perceptions of another healthcare professional, skills, interest in collaborative practice, role definition, and communication [30]. In Eastern Europe, the most frequently mentioned barriers to physician-pharmacist collaboration are the lack of knowledge about the services provided in pharmacies, the financing model and the heavy burden on pharmacies, and the lack of private consultation rooms for patients [31].…”

An exploration of Northern Ireland general practice pharmacists’ views on their role in general practice: a cross-sectional survey

“…most GPPs work in more than one general practice), it seems that GPPs working in several general practices may enhance their relationships with other HCPs in those practices, including GPs [20]. Nevertheless, it is still essential to have a dedicated full-time GPP in every general practice to promote GPP integration, availability, interprofessional collaboration with HCPs and impact within the general practice [14,16,34].…”

“…This latter study also used the Attitudes Towards Collaboration Instrument for GPs (ATCI-GP) to measure GPs' attitudes towards collaboration with GPPs [14]. A survey study which assessed collaboration and team effectiveness of GPPs based on four components [professional interactions, relationship initiation, exchange characteristics (trust and role clarity), and commitment to collaboration] showed that GPPs' collaboration and team effectiveness scores from the survey were high overall [34]. The authors of this survey study proposed that long-term employment and long working hours in general practice may promote interprofessional collaboration and team effectiveness through gradual improvement of trust and working relationships between GPPs and other HCPs [34].…”